Letters from Natalie
by ShootingStar96
Summary: Letters from the late Natalie Prior to her daughter, Tris. Before she died, Natalie created letters to give to Tris when she got older. Here are the words that she left her daughter. (From Finding the Strength).
1. You Get This Box

_**OPEN WHEN...**_

 _Letters from the late Natalie to her daughter, Tris. Before she died, Natalie created letters to give to Tris when she got older. Here are the words that she left her daughter. From Finding the Strength._

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 _ **Open When… you get this box.**_

 _Beatrice,_

 _I love you. That's the first and most important thing I want you to know. I love you. And no matter what you do, what you say, where you go, or who you become, I will always love my Beatrice. When I turned 18, and I was leaving for college, my mother gave me a box full of letters. She told me that, over the years, she wrote many letters to me. She also told me that her mother did the same thing to her, so I think that it is only fitting to do the same to you._

 _So here it is… Letters to my daughter. Every one of them is different, and in case something were to ever happen to me I will always be here in these letters. Always guiding you until I have done my job and you are guiding yourself. (And even then, I will be a light on the shore in your sea of life.)_

 _Love, Mother_

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 **Author's Note**

 **Hello! For those of you who read "Finding the Strength," you may recognize some of these letters. (If you haven't read FTS, I highly recommend it!) There will be letters included in this 'story,' and letters that have yet to be in the story. (Exciting!)**

 **I am having trouble updating my other stories because I have been super busy! (I made the Dean's List at school last semester which kept me studying all the time, sorority stuff keeps me busy, I got mono, and I am an engineering intern this summer and working full time.) Despite the excuses, I hope you are all still reading and being patient. I am trying, I promise!**

 **Be brave, everyone!**


	2. You Are Scared

_**Open When… You are scared**_

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 _Beatrice,_

 _I know you're scared since you are reading this, but I can promise you that everything will be okay. You're afraid because you are human, and humans are vulnerable because they are capable of getting hurt. And it will hurt; there are not if's or buts about it._

 _You may feel like the darkness is overwhelming, but if you take one second to look and open up, you will find immense freedom. Here is a secret: you are not the only one afraid. These are the people who understand and are the real ones who can help. Because there are so many scary things out there._

 _When you're little, night time is scary because there are monsters hiding right under the bed. When you get older, the monsters are different. The monsters shift into dark demons full of doubt, fear, and pain. And, let's be honest, though you may be older and wiser, you still find yourself scared of the dark._

 _And as you get older and grow into new demons, you grow out of old ones. I guess it is a funny thing how you can gain courage with passing time._

 _Love, Mother_

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 **Author's Note**

 **Be brave, everyone!**


	3. You've found The One

**_Open When… You've found The One_**

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 _Dear Beatrice,_

 _So you found The One. Have you made him yours? Are you his? Because love is a balance act performed by many, but far too many fall and break. I don't want that for you._

 _Here's the thing… I used to think that love was chaotic—losing control and perspective and the ability to protect yourself. You go all in with the stakes high and the rush even higher. You see that person and your heart pounds and hands shake and your knees go weak. I used to thinks this._

 _But here is the secret: That's not love. That isn't_ The One _._

 _When you meet your soulmate, The One, you'll feel calm and you will feel at ease. No anxiety, no agitation. All you need and will ever need is just them and you will feel a sort of wave of relief. A home. A steady beat._

 _The best love story is when you fall in love with the most unexpected person at the most unexpected time. Anyone can love a rose but it takes a lot to love a leaf. It's ordinary to love the beautiful but beautiful to love the ordinary. Because love begins at a place where nothing is looked for in return._

 _Love, Mother_

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 **Author's Note **

**Be brave, everyone!**


	4. You Fall in Love

_**Open When… You Fall in Love**_

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 _Beatrice,_

 _There once was a boy in my English class when I was a sophomore in college. He was smart, but in the way that he didn't want anyone else to know. He was silently smart, and silently brave. My favorite part about him was that he could forget himself for someone else. I did not realize how much I liked him until it was the end of the semester and he asked me to go to the Holiday Festival._

 _And it is funny how people tell stories about falling in love. There are star-crossed lovers that are passionately in love but can never be. There are soul mates that are meant for each other and no one else; their paths are chosen for them, instead of making a choice. There is love at first sight when you look at someone once and you just know. But let me tell you something Beatrice, the boy from first semester English and I were nothing like those things._

 _We fell for each other slowly, one person pushing harder and backing off, and vise-versa. It was slow, like waves coming to a shore. We slowly traveled to the shore, steady and naturally. It was calm and beautiful, and then at the last moment, everything built up and crashed into something I could only call love. We weren't perfect; in fact, we fought more than other couples. But there was always one thing that we could agree on… We loved each other unconditionally._

 _That boy's name was Andrew, and he is your father. As time went on, we learned to agree on more things. And we learned to love two people as much as we loved each other. Those two peoples' names are Caleb and Beatrice._

 _So, Beatrice, if you are reading this, you have fallen in love. And you will know it when you feel it. It can sneak up on you until it is there. Beatrice, I hope you fight. I hope you fight with each other and for each other. But most importantly, when he said I love you for the first time, did you ask him if he was afraid of heights? I hope with my entire soul that he said yes because that means despite his fear, he fell for you._

 _Love, Mother_

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 **Author's Note**

 **Hello.**

 **I am horrible at updating! I am in my final semester of college (crazy!) and I am excited to say that I have a new job in a brand new BIG city for after I graduate! (I am totally have a _Mean_ by T. Swift moment.) I am thinking a lot about changing how my original format for _Finding the Strength_ was supposed to be and what it will end up being. Time will tell. Thank you to those who are still out there! You all are the best!**

 **Be brave, everyone.**


End file.
